Bodkin.



No. 775,862. PATENTED Nov. 22, 1904.

A. W. & I. E. SMITH.

BODKIN.

APPLIOATIOH FILED DEC. 31., .1903.

N0 MODEL.

w/Z: nwrs Jan/ eld} dZiMZ/L No. 775,862. I

Patented November 22, 1904.

price,

ABSALOM *OODTVARI) ShIlTll AND ISABEL R. SMITH, ()F BLAIRSVILLE,PENNSYLVA N lA BODKIM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 775,862, dated November22, 1904. Application filed December 31, 1908. Serial No. 187,335. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that We, AssALoM W oonwa'an SMITH and ISABEL R. SMITH,citizens of the United States, residing at Blairsville, in the county ofIndiana and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Bodkins; and we do declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact descrip tion of the invention, such as will enableothers to skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

Our invention relates to improvements in bodkins or devices forinserting a drawingstring, ribbon, or the like through a hem or r 5casing of fabric or other material.

The object of our invention is to provide a device of this characterwhich will be simple in construction, durable in use, very eflicient forthe purpose intended, and comparatively 2o inexpensive to manufacture.

With this and other objects in view the i nvention consists of certainnovel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts,as will be more fully described, and

particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of one formof our invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through 3 the same.Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Figs. atand 5 are respectively side and edge views of a modified form of ourinvention. Fig. 6 is a side view of still another modified form of ourin vention.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings, thenumeral 1 denotes abod kin comprising aneedle-likebody of metal or othersuitable material'formed with longitu- 4 dinally-alined handles 1*,having blunt outer ends 2 and connected at their inner ends by an offsetportion 3. The handles 1 are preferably of equal length, thus disposingthe intermediate oflset portion 3 at the center of the bodkin. The saidoflset portion 3 is curved or arc-shaped and adapted to receive a clasp4, which takes the place of the usual eye 1n the ordinary bodkin. Thesaid clasp comprises a pin 5 and a guard 6 for the point of the pin. Asclearly shown in Fig. 2, said pin 5 has one of its ends 7 fixed rigidlyin the body 1 at one end of the curved offset portion 3. and it extendslongitudinally across the offset portion in alinement with the edge ofthe body 1. The guard 6 is secured at the opposite end of the offsetportion 3 and forms a cap or hood to receive the point of the pin, oneside of the cap or hood being closed and its other side having adownwardly and outwardly projecting flange or lip 8, beneath which thepoint of the pin must be sprung in order to disengage it from the guard.The pin being thus disposed and protected is not liable to beaccidentally unfastencd and will permit the device to be pushed throughthe hem, casing, or 5 the like with either end foremost.

In using the device the pin is disengaged from the guard, then passedthrough the string, tape, ribbon, or the like which is to be drawnthrough the hem, and again sprung under the 7 guard. Either end of thebody is then inserted in the hem and worked through the same in a mannerwell understood. The portions of the body at each end of the clasp areof sufficient length to be readily grasped, so that the device may bemanipulated without bringing the lingers in contact with the pin, andthereby possibly uufastening the clasp.

The construction of the bodkin illustrated in Figs. and 5 is verysimilar to that of the one just described. The pin 10 of the claspinstead of being rigidly attached to the body is pivotally or hingedlyconnected thereto to permit it to have a swinging movement. A. portionof the body at one end of the oflset 5 portion is grooved or recessed,as at 11, to form ears 1.52, between which the end of said pin isdisposed and pivotally secured by a pin 13, passed through apertures insaid ears and pin. The construction and operation of this 9 form of ourinvention is the same as that of the form previously described, thespring or resilience of the pins in both forms being suliicient to holdthem against casual disengagement from their guards. 1n the latter formthe pin 10, owing to its pivotal connection, may be swung out to agreater extent to permit it to be more readily engaged with the stringor ribbon.

1n the embodiment of our invention which is illustrated in Fig. 6 theclasp is in the form of an ordinary safety -pin 20, the back of the samebeing secured in the curved ofiset portion of the body, as clearly shownin said figure.

-Wewish to be understood that We do not limit ourselves to theconstruction and arrangement of parts herein shown and described. Thepin and guard, for instance, may be located at any point on the body,whether adjacent to its center or to either of its ends. The bodyinstead of being formed with an offset portion may be straight, and thepin may be either straight or curved. Various other changes in the form,proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted towithout departing from the principle or sacrificing any of theadvantages of this invention.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the inventionWill be readily understood without requiring a more extendedexplanation.

Having thus descrlbed our lnvention, what we claim as nevi/(and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A bodkin or tape-needle comprising a body having an offset portionintermediate its ends, a resilient pin rigidly secured at one end ofsaid offset portion and extending across the same, said pin being of alength substantially coextensive in length with the offset portion, anda guard for the point of said pin secured at the opposite end of saidoifset portion, substantially as described.

2. A bodkin comprising longitudinally alined solid handles, an offsetportion joining said handles, a pin adapted to span the space of theoffset portion and connected at one end to the inner end of one of saidhandles, and located wholly between the handles, and a catch and guardfor the free end of the pin upon the inner end of the other handle,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ABSALOM WOODWARD Sllll'lll. ISABEL it. SMl'lll.

Witnesses:

DANL. SMITH, MARY L. SMITH.

